Spreading His Seed
by Jaina and Arafel
Summary: In the aftermath of "A Whisper in Darkness" and his battle with Knives, Vash returns home to some profound changes.


...of sorts.  
  
This isn't technically the sequel. More like an omake sequel. It popped  
into my head after reading one of our reviews on ffnet and well...here it  
is. Anyway, Arafel has requested that I let you all know she had NOTHING to  
do with this. She didn't. This is all my twisted brain's work.  
  
"Spreading His Seed" 1/1 by Jaina  
  
***  
  
Vash grinned with relief as he stepped through the front door of what he'd come to think of as their home. It was cramped, sparsely furnished, and only theirs to use through random luck, but the girls were there, and that was enough for him. Besides, certain events had occurred inside it to make it a memorable place for him.  
  
Speaking of which…"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone home?" Bending his knees, he slid Knives off his shoulders and onto the threadbare couch. Briefly, he considered carrying him to a more comfortable bed, but Knives was unconscious and wouldn't care about his position for a while. He had more important things to take care of.  
  
He found her inside his room, tending to something on the windowsill. He hung in the doorframe for a moment, lips curving into a warm smile. "Meryl?" he spoke softly.  
  
She spun around, mouth opening in an `o' of surprise. "Vash! Oh my god, you're back! I didn't hear you come in!"  
  
Vash laughed. "It's me, in the flesh."  
  
He stepped towards her, but instead of meeting him halfway for a hug, Meryl hung back, fidgeting slightly. "And Knives?" she sounded nervous, but of course he couldn't blame her.  
  
"He's unconscious," Vash said. He moved closer but again she hung back. "Ah, Meryl, is everything all right?"  
  
"Of course! What would be wrong?"  
  
"Well, it's just…" He fumbled for words. "After the other night, I thought…are we…"  
  
"Oh!" She blinked before rushing forward and enfolding him in her arms. "I'm sorry, Vash, there's just so much to think about. We're fine. Better than fine, I mean, if you want us to…"  
  
"I do," he reassured her, rocking her in his embrace before letting go. "That night ws wonderful, Meryl. I'm glad you feel the same way."  
  
"Definitely," she said. "Though…I think we need to talk about what happened."  
  
He grinned. "Well, Knives is going to need a room now, so I could move in with you…"  
  
"That's not what I meant." She stepped back and tucked some hair behind her ear in a gesture he'd come to recognize was one of her nervous habits.  
  
"Meryl, is something wrong?"  
  
"No! Not really. But there is something…" she paused before continuing. "Vash, you know that night wasn't exactly…planned. So I didn't have any protection on hand, if you get my drift. I know you're not exactly human, but obviously plants and humans are compatible for some things and it turns out more compatible than I expected." She took a deep breath. "There's something you need to see."  
  
As he watched with wide eyes, she hurried to the window sill and picked up whatever she had been tending to when he arrived. Returning to where he stood, she presented in gently.  
  
"Um…it's a geranium," he said, looking at the little red plant in its brown clay pot.  
  
"It's not a geranium, it's your son!" she yelled.  
  
Vash blinked. Then blinked again. "Whaaaat? But…it's a flower…"  
  
"Well, you're a plant," she huffed. "Look, don't blame me, it's your weird genetics that are at fault here. I woke up yesterday morning feeling bloated and nauseous and then the contractions started." She shrugged. "Little Vash Junior here is the result."  
  
"Vash Junior?!" he yelped.  
  
"Shh, don't yell," she shushed him. "He'll think you don't want him!"  
  
"Don't want him?!...Meryl, it's a flower in a pot! He can't…I mean, we can't have…"  
  
"You're just not used to the idea. Here, hold him," she said, shoving the little pot into his arms. Vash's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out. "There, just remember to support his base," Meryl said. "Look, Vash, I know this is a shock. I wouldn't have chosen it. But I wouldn't have chosen to love you, either, and I do, and I love our son. You'll be a great father." She smiled tenderly and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I think he looks like you."  
  
Vash smiled weakly and looked again at the geranium in his arms. It was kind of cute…  
  
"I'll buy him his very first dart gun," he said, heart swelling with pride.  
  
***  
  
Vash sat bolt upright, legs tangled in his bedroll. He thrashed around for a moment—where was the baby, had he dropped it?!—before calming and looking around him. To his right was Knives, still unconscious and resting on his own bedroll, and to the left was the early dawn and another day's walk to the little town they were staying in.  
  
He sat back, breathing heavily. He and Meryl had spent the night together, that was no dream, but there was no little geranium and he wasn't the father to a potted plant. Everything was normal. Well, as normal as things got in his life.  
  
He stood up and walked a little ways from the campsite to stretch his leg and give his mind a chance to wake up. What a crazy dream. As if it could really happen. But then, he wasn't a normal human…no, of all the things Meryl might greet him with when he returned, a geranium namesake couldn't possibly be one of them. Of this he was reasonably certain.  
  
When he felt more centered, Vash strode back to his bedroll and brother, mumbling under his breath "No more anchovy-flavored freeze dried meals before bed."  
  
***  
  
I'm a sick, sick monkey. Oddly enough, people seem to like this fact. Do you? Let me know! 


End file.
